Process of making battery-wrappers.



C. F. BURGESS. PROCESS OF MAKING BATTERY WBMP ERS.

APPLICAUON HLED MAR. I5, 1918.

Patented Nov. 12, 1918.

2 SNEETSSHEET l.

C. F. BURGESS.

PROCESS OF MAKING BATTERY WRAPPERS.

APPLICATION HLED MAR. 15. L918.

1 ,284,585. Patented Nov. 12, 1918 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Z7 VZ/ IHl/ENTUR aux/es 550 24525 f V A TTORNEDS! UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES F. BURGESS. OF MADISON. WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO BURGESS BATTERY COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF WISCONSIN.

PROCESS OF MAKING BATTERY-WRAPPERS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 12, 1918.

Original application filed August 15, 1917, Serial No. 186.278. Divided and this application filed March 15, 1918. Serial No. 222,585.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES F. Bononss, a citizen of the United States, residing at Madison, in the county of Dane, State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes of Making Battery-Wrapymrs, (division of my application Serial Number 186,278, filed Aug. 15, 1917;) and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable Others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to battery wrappers, particularly those adaplcd to hold the small dry cells which are used in pocket flashlights, although the invention is not limited to wrappers for batteries of small size, for the method of forming the wrap pers may be used to produce battery wrappers of any desired size.

It is an object of the invention to provide a simple method of manufacturing battery wrappers by successive operations upon the materials of which the wrappers are formed, these operations comprising, in general, the folding of thesides of the wrapper into the proper form, the fastening of the meeting edges of the wrapper and the attachment of.

the bottom.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear more clearly from an explanation of the details of construction of the battery Wrappers, and a description of the'several steps of the method by which they are formed.

The method of the present invention maybe practised conveniently upon a simple apparatus of the construction shown in Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings, to produce a battery wrapper as shown, partly in section, in Fig. 3. Figs. 4 to 12, inclusive, show the positions occupied by the apparatus and the materials of which the wrapper is made, during successive steps in the formation of this article. Of the above views Figs. 5 and 7 are sectional views along the lines 5- 5 of Fig. 4 and 7-7 of Fig. 6, respectively- Referring to the drawings and particularly to Figs. 1 and 2, 20 represents a base plate which'may be constructed of wood, metal or any other suitable material. This base plate is provided with a central groove 21 of a shape and size corresponding to the shape and size of approximately one-half of the wrapper which is to be formed on the apparatus. A mandrel 22 is adapted to cooperate with the groove and this mandrel has the shape and dimensions of the interior of the wrapper which is to be formed thereon, except that it is a trifle shorter. The mandrel is provided with an extension '23 pivoted to lugs 24 extending upwardly from a shelf 25 projecting from the end of the ba e plate 20. In order to place the sheet of material of which the wrapper is to be formed in the right position upon the base plate, the latter is provided with guides 26 at its sides and other guides 27 attached to its ends.

In using the apparatus to form a battery wrapper the shelf 25 is placed toward the operator and the mandrel is turned into the position shown in Fig. 1. A sheet of material 28 of'the required size is then laid upon the base plate and the mandrel moved into the position shown in Fig. 2 whereupon the paper will be drawn into a nosition substantially like that shown in this figure. The operator then takes a strip of tape 29 which has been coated with adhesive and moistened and places it upon the top of the mandrel with one end 30 extending over the free end of the mandrel as shown most clearly in Fig. 4. The gummed side of the tape is exposed and to the end portion of the ta e is attached an oval bottom 31 which may be of cardboard or any other desired material. Since the mandrel is of slightly less length than the wrapper formed thereon, the mate'- rial will project over the free end of the mandrel forming a recess of depth just sufficient to receive the bottom. The operator next folds down the edges of the sheet 28 and presses them against the gummed surfaceof the strip as shown in Fig. 6 and in cross section in Fig. 7, the sheet of material being of such a size that its edges meet at 32 without any overlapping. The tape 29 is next turned over the forward edge of the wrapper and attached to its outer surface as shown in Fig. 8 to assist still further in holding the edges of the sheet together. The next step in the operation consists inswinging the mandrel into an upright position as shown in Fig. 9 and carrying the tape across the bottom of the wrapper. The mandrel is then dropped into the position shown in Fig. 10 and the tape carried alon the outside of the sheet. The tape shou d preferably be cut to such a length that when the last operation is finished a short length of tape'will project beyond the open end of the wrapper as shown in Fig. 10. The wrapper is then removed from the mandrel as shown in Fi 11 and the free end of the strip is folde over the edge of the wrapper and attached to the inside forming the finished article represented in longitudinal section in Fig. 12.

The apparatus and method of using 1t, as described above, possesses several advantages, among which may be mentioned the fact that it permits the wrapper to be built up around the bottom so that it cannot be smaller than the bottom. 'In the usual process of forming these wrap ers the sides of the article are first wrappe and formed into shape and then the bottom is fitted into place. It frequently happens that the bottom is thus put in at an angle, a good joint cannot be obtained and the resulting article is not of correct size to hold the batteries.

The present construction has the further advantage that the bottom is supported on both sides, that is, by the end of the tape which is attached to its inner face as well as the portion of the tape passing over the outer face of the bottom. In other types of construction the bottom is held in place from one side only. Furthermore the edges of the sides of the wrapper are held together by a strip of tape on each side making a good butt joint instead of a lap joint, which not only strengthens the article b permitting the tape to be attached to hot the inside and the outside of the material, but also produces a wrapper which will be of uniform sha e without the ridge that would be caused if a lap joint Were used. The tape around the entire wrapper acts as a reinforcement, which effect is increased by the fact that the tape is turned over portions of the outer edges of the wrapper which prevents tearing of the latter when the cells are inserted. While the wrapper shown and described above has been finished by turning the free end of the tape within the wrapper, this end may be left in the condition shown in Figs. 10 and 11 and after the cells have been assembled in the wra per this free end may be carried across t e to of the cells and attached to the opposite side of the wrapper thus forming a seal for the cells as well as an insulator for any electrical connectors which may be attached to the end of the battery.

It will be understood that the method of the present invention may be practised upon other forms of apparatus than that shown herein, and also that various modifications oi the method, as well as in the details of construction of the article may oe made without departing from the principle of the invention.

I claim: r

l. The method of making a battery wrapper which consists in bending a sheet of material into a tube and fastening an edge with an adhesive strip to which a bottom for the tube is attached and then passing said strip over the outside of said bottom to adhere thereto, substantially as described.

2. The method of making a battery wrapper which consists in bending a flat sheet of material into an oval tube and fastening the adjacent edges with an adhesive strip to" which a bottom for the tube is attached andthen passing said strip over the outside of said bottom to adhere thereto substantially as described.

3. The method of making a battery wrapper which consists in bending a flat sheet of paper into a tube with its edges abutting and fastening the adjacent edges on the outside and on the inside of said tube with an adhesive strip to which a cardboard bottom for the tube is attached and then passing said strip over the outside of said bottom to adhere thereto.

4. The method of making a battery wrapper which consists in attachin a cardboard ottom to an adhesive strip, ending a flat sheet of material into tubular form with a longitudinal joint closed, by said strip, passing said strip along the outside of the tube to reinforce the joint and then across the outside of said bottom to adhere thereto and assist in holding it in place.

5. The method of making a battery wrapper which consists in attaching a cardboard ottom to an adhesive strip, bending a fiat sheet of paper into an oval tubular form with its ed es stuck to said strip, passing said strip a ong the outside of the tube to reinforce the joint and then across the outside'of said bottom to adhere thereto and assist in holding the bottom in place.

, 6. The.method of making a battery wrapper which consists in attaching a cardboard bottom to one end of an adhesive strip, bend- .ing a flat sheet of paper into oval tubular form with its abutting edges stuck to said strip on the inside of said tube, passing said strip along the outside of the tube to reinforce the joint and then across the outside of said bottom to adhere thereto and assist in holding it in place.

7. The method if making a battery wrapper which consists in attaching a cardboard bottom to one end of an adhesive strip, bending a fiat sheet of material into a tubular form with a longitudinal joint closed by said strip, passing said strip along the outside of the tube to reinforce the joint then across'the outside of said bottom to adhere thereto and assist in holding it in place and i ssi ssa then passing said strip up the otnm side of the tube, substantially described.

8. The method of making A battery wrapper which consists in attaching a card board bettoni to one end Of an adhesive strip, bending a fiat sheet (if mnfsriai into a tubular form with a longitudinal joint closed by said strip, passing said stirip alongthe outsidB of the tube to i'einfome the joint then acre-3s the subside of said bottom to adhere thereto and assist in holding it, in piace and than passing said strip up the other side 01" the tube and tucking its free and inm the inside Of ihe wrapper to adhere YhCiQtLi I n testimony whereof I affix my signature.

GHARLES F, BURGESS. 

